Page:Mexico and its reconstruction.djvu/71

Rh less affected by official influence than those of the old régime. There was greater popular enthusiasm and the largest vote in the history of the republic was cast.

On the other hand, the circumstances surrounding the election were so exceptional that the returns cannot properly be taken as indicative of what may be expected in the average case. The choice occurred shortly after a successful revolution, when a widespread opposition could hardly be expected. This was the first election in which the Mexican people voted under the new constitution providing for a direct vote for the President, a change which in itself would encourage a heavier poll. The desire of the administration to make a good showing naturally made its supporters anxious to get the voters to the polls. The opposition did not vote. Many of its leaders were in exile. The government could have made the vote larger doubtless if it had wished, just as the Diaz government could have increased or decreased the polling if it had been felt worth while. The lack of secrecy of the ballot, especially among a population so largely illiterate, is another factor that makes the result doubtful as a reflection of the popular will.

Events after the election of 1917 have not been encouraging for those who hope for the early development of popular elections in Mexico. The violent death of President Carranza followed, after the provisional Presidency of de la Huerta, by the unopposed election of Obregón in August, 1920, does not show that a new era in Mexican politics is at hand.

The most unsatisfactory feature of these elections is